Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova (Republica Moldova) is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east and south.

The country is a parliamentary democracy with a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government. Moldova is a member state of the United Nations, Council of Europe, WTO, OSCE, GUAM, CIS, BSEC and other international organizations. Moldova cu...rrently aspires to join the European Union, and has implemented the first three-year Action Plan within the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP).

Moldova enjoys a favorable climate and good farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine, and tobacco. The economy contracted dramatically following the fall of the Soviet Union. Currently, Moldova is the poorest country in Europe.

Chişinău is the capital and largest municipality of Moldova. It is also its main industrial and commercial centre and is located in the middle of the country, on the river Bîc. The city is the most economically prosperous locality in Moldova, and its largest transportation hub. As the most economically and socially important municipality in Moldova, Chişinău has a broad range of educational facilities. The proportion of green spaces in the city is one of the highest among major European cities.

Biggest cities

Tiraspol

Tiraspol is the second largest city in Moldova and is the capital and administrative centre of the de facto independent Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria). The city is located on the eastern bank of the Dniester River. Tiraspol is a regional hub of light industry, such as furniture and electrical goods production.
Tiraspol was founded by the Russian general Alexander Suvorov in 1792. The city celebrates its anniversary every year on October 14.

Bălţi

Bălţi, is a city in Moldova, the second largest in terms of area and economic importance (after Chişinău), and the third largest in terms of population (after Chişinău and Tiraspol). The city is one of the five Moldovan localities having the status of municipalities. Bălţi, sometimes also called "the northern capital", is the major industrial, cultural, commercial centre and transportation hub in the north of the country. It is situated 127 kilometres (79 mi) north of the capital Chişinău, and is located on the river Răut, a tributary of the Dniester, on a hilly landscape in the Bălţi steppe.

Bender

Bender, also known as Tighina (Romanian; Russian: Bendery) is a city in Moldova. Although located on the right (western) bank of the river Dniester, since the 1992 War, it is controlled by the authorities of the breakaway region of Transnistria. Together with its suburb Proteagailovca, the city forms a municipality, which is separate from Transnistria according to the Moldovan law. Bender is located in the buffer zone established at the end of the 1992 War of Transnistria. While the Joint Control Commission has overriding powers in the city, Transnistria has de facto administrative control, and both Moldova and Transnistria have small police forces in the city.

Rîbniţa

Rîbniţa, also spelled Râbniţa (Romanian: Rîbniţa, Râbniţa, Russian: Рыбница, Rybnitsa) is a city in Transnistria, Moldova. According to the 2004 Census in Transnistria, it has a population of 53,648. Rîbniţa is situated in the northern half of Transnistria, on the left bank of the Dniester, and separated from the river by a concrete dam. The city is the seat of the Rîbniţa sub-district.